Christmas
by Stormhawk
Summary: [ATS] Brown gets angry at Christmas


**Title:** Christmas Emotions

**Author:** Stormhawk

**Rating:** PG

**Disclaimer: **

Matrix universe: Wachowski Brothers

ATS universe: me

Pixel: Pixel

**Word Count: **1203

**Summary:** Brown gets frustrated at Christmas.

**Notes:** This carries on from all the subtext from Pixel 2.

**Please read and Review.**

Brown stalked through the corridors of the Agency like a demon from hell, wanting to crush anything and everything in his path.

Everywhere he went in this building were recruits ignoring him, usually they were afraid of him, doing their best to get out of his way, not to be in the same area as him. Hiding from him.

They hadn't been doing that lately.

Christmas.

A simple human holiday, a public holiday in the western world, a religious event, overly commercialised. But, it seemed to have an existence outside of its mere calender meaning.

It seemed to have some kind of connection with the humans' mind…and…heart. It seemed to have special meaning to them, as if it were an event existing outside of time and space.

Humans were overly emotional at the best of times, but during the holiday seasons they were worse…and no more so than during Christmas.

A pair of recruits chased each other down the hall, dressed gaudily in red and green, passing him as if he didn't even exist.

They had to put up with this, it was the price of recruits…and recruits weren't something he had ever wanted, and something he continually tried to get rid of.

He passed by the gym, there was a large tree in it, almost unbalanced by the amount of decorations that had been placed on it.

He stepped into the doorway, and watched the recruits as they required wrapped presents, and ate festive foods.

Unnecessary activities.

Brown shook his head, to him, humans were nothing more than an annoyance, batteries in pods. A power source. And a source of annoyance.

Seasonal music blared from speakers, and for something like the millionth time, he wished that they could find an alternate power source, something besides the humans.

He also wished that he didn't…and by association, the rest of the programs – that they didn't have to have a human form. By looking at them and associating with them, it only led to confusion, a slight blurring of the line between what a program should be and what it was.

Not in his case though.

Never in his case.

He knew exactly what he was, and didn't sink to the level of some of his associates by acting human.

Such an act was despicable, even if it was only adaptation to make their job easier.

Feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable in the only place he could call his 'home,' he quickly shifted away, before any of the recruits noticed that he was watching in on their celebration.

He blinked when he discovered where he was. Without thinking, he had shifted to the very edge of the firewalled area. The place where he had encountered her the second time.

Her.

He almost scoffed, so much of his existence had been defined by females. First Whitman, then Mimosa and now also Pixel.

The fairy.

A source of corruption.

Because of her, he had been subscanned, a process somewhat like defragging, wherein every single one of his subroutines had been scanned for errors.

Not that anyone had actually accused him of anything, it had been his own fault for running too many self diagnostics. Still, it was her fault.

He walked down the alley, the alley where he had almost died.

He should have. He shouldn't have accepted help from an exile. Shouldn't have done such a traitorous act, even though it would have meant his death. By accepting her help, he had gone against every fibre in his being.

But…he hadn't wanted to die.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite patient," a tiny and somewhat squeaky voice said.

Brown spun, gun drawn and looked down at the fairy, though she was a great deal smaller than the last time he had seen her – about the size of a doll.

"What do you want?"

She shrugged and grew to her normal size, letting her wings grow from her back. "Thought I'd wish you a Merry Christmas."

A split second later, the gun was in her face.

"Oh what's wrong agent? Don't like the holidays?"

"I'm going to kill you."

She smiled, "if that's so, then why did you come looking for me?"

"So I could kill you."

"I think not, you look surprised to see me. I think you've been scared."

"I don't feel fear."

She shook her head and pushed the gun from her face, "I've seen you afraid Brown. I've seen a side of you probably no one else has."

"You are corrupting me! I demand you stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything to you."

"Because of you, I had to be subscanned."

"Maybe I just make you see what you have inside of you."

"What? A virus?"

He fired a shot, and she neatly dodged it. "See? I hit a nerve again. Emotions, they scare you, and you're terrified because you might possess some."

"Only pointless beings like humans and exiles possess emotions. I have no need of them."

"You're angry, that's an emotion. And fear, that's another. How many more are hiding beneath the surface."

"I am…perhaps…not as perfect as I began my existence."

"Was that an admission?" she asked in a quieter tone.

"Perhaps," he whispered.

"I think all you need to do is take a chill pill, just try calming down. Not everyone wants to be perfect, or nearly perfect, like you do. Not everyone has unflappable respect for the system, even if they are allied to it."

"I don't know any other way to be." A look crossed his face and then he scowled, "and there is no reason I should be like that," he growled. "I am an agent of the system. I am here to protect the system against traitor trash like you."

Pixel reached into her pocket and extracted a plastic sprig of mistletoe, holding it above their heads, she leant closer and kissed him.

Brown went into shock, but after recovering, he pulled back from her, pushing her away and reaching for his gun.

Pixel smiled and held his gun up, with one flap of her wings, she disappeared up over the top of the building beside them.

Left on the crate she had been sitting on there was an open Christmas card, wishing him a Merry Christmas.

He tore the card in half, and let the pieces drop to the ground.

He put a hand to his lips, shocked, confused, angry and unsure. He was now in a worse mood than when he left the Agency.

He went to walk away, and heard something crunch beneath his foot. Moving his foot aside, he saw the plastic mistletoe.

He knelt and picked it up, he almost crushed it, but then he stopped.

He slipped it into his pocket and walked away.

01010101010

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I know this was late and it wasn't as big or good as it was supposed to be. (I was planning on a chapter for every character) and that I didn't get the SMU fic finished, but at least there's an ATS fic in it.

…well there's two, but the other one is more off to the side.

Anyways, I want everyone to have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.


End file.
